Compare with covalent compound , ionic compound and polar bond .An asymmetric molecule containing polar bonds . H2O, NH3, and HCl are examples of polar molecules. Non-examples are CO2, CCl4, and BCl3 which contain polar bonds but are nonpolar because they have symmetric shapes. Alkanes are usually asymmetric but are nonpolar because they contain no polar bonds. Polar molecules are electric dipoles and they attract each other via dipole-dipole forces .

In chemistry, polarity refers to a separation of electric charge leading to a molecule or its chemical groups having an electric dipole or multipole moment. Polar molecules interact through dipole–dipole intermolecular forces and hydrogen bonds. Molecular polarity is dependent on the difference in electronegativity between atoms in a compound and the asymmetry of the compound's structure. Polarity underlies a number of physical properties including surface tension, solubility, and melting- and boiling-points.